USC Center for Autonomy and AI
Fall 2025 Workshop on Is the Future of Autonomy in Foundation Models?
October 09, 2025
MCB 101, UPC Campus
USC Center for Autonomy and AI
Fall 2025 Workshop on Is the Future of Autonomy in Foundation Models?
October 09, 2025
MCB 101, UPC Campus
Learn
Share
Solve
We invite you to join us at our USC Center for Autonomy and AI Fall Workshop for a day of learning, sharing, and tackling some of the most vexing challenges facing the development of intelligent autonomy. The Workshop on the campus of USC will bring together expert faculty from USC Viterbi School of Engineering and industry researchers such as you to explore current topics in research on "Is the Future of Autonomy in Foundation Models?"
The Fall 2025 Workshop will include lightning talks, panels, and breakout sessions. Participants will cross-pollinate with researchers from other industries as well as take deeper dives with colleagues from their own industries. Our 2024 Workshop featured presenters from 10 companies.
Come learn new approaches to solving current challenges in intelligent autonomy research, share your own challenges, and make new connections with fellow researchers in the field. Our Workshop day will run from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, lunch is included as is our cocktail reception.
Agenda
8:30 AM Registration & Welcome Coffee
9:00 AM Opening Remarks and Center Overview
Rahul Jain, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Industrial and Systems Engineering; Director, Center for Autonomy and AI
9:05 AM Keynote Address
Ahmed Sadek, Head of Physical AI Systems, VP Engineering, Qualcomm
10:00 AM Morning Networking Break
10:20 AM Faculty and Industry Talks – Session 1
Speakers:
Prof. Yan Liu - Philip and Cayley MacDonald Endowed Early Career Chair and Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Sciences
Prof. Assad Oberai - Hughes Professor and Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Elizabeth Davison - Principal Director, Office of the CTO (Enterprise Lab), The Aerospace Corporation
Prof. Mahdi Soltanolkotabi - Andrew and Erna Viterbi Early Career Chair and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Industrial and Systems Engineering
Mauricio Castillo-Effen – LM Fellow for Assurance, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs
Prof. Bistra Dilkina - Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Early Career Chair in Computer Science and Associate Professor of Computer Science
11:30 AM AAI Industry Affiliates Program Overview
Maurena Nacheff-Benedict - Assistant Dean, Corporate and Foundation Relations
11:45 PM Lunch
12:30 PM Poster Session
1:30 PM Faculty and Industry Talks – Session 2
Speakers:
Eren Aydemir - Perception Technologies Development Lead, Ford Otosan
Yunshuang Li - Ph.D. student, co-advised by Profs. Daniel Seita and Gaurav Sukhatme
Prof. Jesse Thomason - Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Sean O’Brien - Manager Programs, Advanced Autonomy, Northrop Grumman
Prof. Erdem Biyik - Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Prof. Yue Wang - Assistant Professor of Computer Science
2:30 PM Faculty and Industry Talks – Session 3
Speakers:
Jeffrey Hunt - Senior Technical Fellow, The Boeing Company
Prof. Ketan Savla - John and Dorothy Shea Early Career in Civil Engineering and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Jon DeCastro - Research Scientist, Toyota Research Institute
3:00 PM Coffee Break
3:15 PM Panel Discussion: Can foundational models be used for safety-critical autonomous systems?
Moderator:
Erdem Biyik, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Panelists:
Ahmed Sadek - Head of Physical AI Systems, VP Engineering, Qualcomm
Alberto Speranzon - Chief Scientist for Autonomy, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs
Sean O’Brien - Manager Programs, Advanced Autonomy, Northrop Grumman
4:00 PM Reception and Posters
Viterbi School of Engineering, Los Angeles, CA 90089
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